Prayut’s anti-reforms

Generalissimo Prayut, Head of the army, Head of the junta, self-appointed Prime Minister, Economic supremo… and Head Anti-Reform guru has outlined the general principles that the anti-reform assembly should use to change the Thai political system.

He shouted out in a manly, soldierly and disciplined manner that the process should “lead to a democratic system appropriate to Thai society”. He also wisely advised the collection of anti-democrat arse-lickers that “we should take Western democracy and adapt it to Thai society because THAIS ARE UNLIKE ANY OTHER NATIONS ON THIS EARTH.”

Unfortunately for Prayut, his authoritarian nationalist clap trap is not unique. Apart from this rubbish being trotted out by past Thai dictators only to be ignored by the general population who want freedom and democracy; it has also been spouted for decades by dictators in Burma, Indonesia and Singapore.

Not only are Prayut’s facile arguments for destroying democracy not unique to Thai elites, but the demands of the majority of Thais for freedom and democracy are shared by millions of people throughout the world. Democracy is no more a “Western” concept than fascism or dictatorship. Both fascism and military dictatorships have occurred in Western countries in living memory. Nor is democracy something which naturally occurred in the West. Each democratic right had to be fought for in a bitter struggle against the Western ruling classes. Thailand is no exception.